Danball Senki: Redeem Code
by GenesisXYZ
Summary: The world have changed and he slumbered for too long. Hiro lost his life and those he dears. Now awake, he will encounter struggles, burdens unbearable under the title convict. But that didn't mean he couldn't redeem himself. Striving for a second chance, he later dived into the new era after a decade upon his awakening and encounter many new and old. Among them was that group.
1. His Awakening

"Your health is not fully stabled so try taking exercises and eat regularly every once a day."

Dr. Kosuke began recommending health benefits as Hiro listened through his suggestions without missing a crucial detail. After all, he just woke up from a coma which only lasted for ten years.

He barely ate anything during his bedridden state, except for the fact the doctors did feed him but only through the dextrose sack connecting the tubes, injected to his fore arms.

This method didn't quite help his body to maintain stamina though, and he quickly lost weight, making him look like an old man who have been dehydrated with long blue hair.

The clothes he was wearing, including a gray hoodie, felt so much heavier over his skinny body. Even he tried to stand up, did he emphasize he was actually lifting an iron barbel instead.

"Come back if you had any health problems." The doctor said finally.

Hiro nodded, and gave him a grateful smile. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you doctor."

Dr. Kosuke smiled in appreciation, as he took out a brown envelope and gave it to him.

"Everything you need along with your mother's will is in here." He said.

Hiro thanked him again as he took the envelope and left the room.

After watching the blunette closing the door behind him, the doctor sighed and looked on with forlorn gaze.

He's been away from this world for too long. With his last relative gone, he won't be able to adjust these changes by himself. The doctor couldn't help but worry over this fact. He was afraid that sooner or later, Hiro may lose himself again, mentally.

01001000100001000001

Hiro left the hospital quietly.

The sky was solemnly dark, massive white yet bluish clouds hovered in the sky. No sun light met his slowly walking figure.

Then a drop of water fell, landing on the ground. Another followed in pursuit, then the weather started to rain.

Although the the weather forecast never mentioned this sudden heavy rain, Hiro didn't mind having his frail, thin and weak body in shabby clothes soak. He didn't bother to look for shelter.

Instead he stopped. Standing a few yards away from the gate, Hiro looked up.

The raindrops splashed against his face constantly, his dull eyes staring at the sky.

The gloomy scenery, the sound of water splashing...

Those were the only noises he could hear.

No one was there but him alone.

He closed his eyes.

A rain drop fell on his face, trailing down through his cheek.

Then his closed eyes began to water, a tear fell as well.


	2. Restart

The third week after being released from the hospital.

Hiro sat by the desk, taking note at the scenery through the storefront window as the people coming and going on the street during the evening. There was a destitute man throwing strange glances at him from the adjacent alley.

Hiro worked in GameRight store at Walls Street District, A City. From here, you could see see one of the iconic landmarks in Nation-A, Lincoln Park, a small local park named after President Abraham Lincoln.

Not far away, a business man was sitting on a bench beside a bus stop. There was, however, a tall robot sitting right next to him.

An average tall woman, who happened to be arriving for the next bus would stop, sat beside him. As she fixed her hair, a black collar around her neck was glinted by the sunlight.

With instinct, the man moved further away, with a look of disgust, the robot following in suit. This action only made the woman upset, but couldn't do anything about it.

Everything was the same as far as he could remember.

But this wasn't the world he used to know.

Hiro scratched his neck, the device hanging around his neck felt slightly uncomfortable, sharing the same sentiment with the woman as he smiled bitterly-- He too had a black collar same as hers.

Just before his release, several men in black suits came to his room. He wasn't so sure if they were from the bureau when two of them grabbed him by the shoulders. He was a poor patient, and they treated him like a helpless rabbit. That was where the collar came in when they placed it around his neck.

It was a Detect Vice, aka DV collar. He even felt being tasered after they forced him to wear it. Once more, this device was used to observe an extremely dangerous criminal's actions and behaviors. When the light bulb blinked red, it would mean the suspect became aggresive. If it blinked more than three times, they'll have to locate the criminal and make an arrest without a warrant.

The collar can only be used in order to see if the person is deemed innocent.

In reality, Hiro was considered a criminal to these people. Whereas, they didn't care when you say you're not a bad guy. The fact remains there, and you have to prove it to them when reaching the deadline.

But the deadline will be around ten years.

Furthermore, he couldn't help but lower his head and accept their judgement. Dr. Kosuke couldn't help him, as he too was powerless against these men. His reputation won't save him either.

In fact, Hiro's reputation was in danger when everyone, like the men in suits, mistook him for being part of a terrorist group instead of a victim under hypnosis. But during ten years in a coma, that reputation and respect from everyone already disappeared into oblivion, even his status and biography were dragged along to the trash bin as well.

No one seemed to recognize him anymore. It was as if he didn't exist at all.

But wherever he walks, people would only judge him with disgust, just by looking at the collar on his neck.

This thing pinnacled on the peak of his misery.

Well, almost...

Ding! Ding!

Hiro glanced at the door. His expression relaxed when he saw a short chubby man, with a mop like brown hair, coming into the store, a large box pressured on his fat yet, little hands as he entered with slight difficulty.

"Do you need help, Kuro?" Hiro asked in concern. Just comparing the size of the box to this fellow colleague, despite his fatness, only made him afraid that he would end up injured.

The shop was considerably small, and only less than fifteen people would fit in the small space left by the shelves full of collectibles and hard drives. Any accident to injury will happen. How though? You can ask the manager of this store right in front of him.

The chubby man managed to carry the box all the way through the entrance. He turned left along with the box, his fatty face finally shown just as he glanced at the blunette.

"I can handle this," Kuro beamed, not out of pride but excitement was expressed on his fat face.

Shiruba, Kuro was the one who took him under his wing and gave him this job. The two of them got along after their first meeting, and Kuro nonetheless, have no grudge against him, nor he was afraid when he saw the collar on his neck. He even invite him over to lunch when Hiro was eating just a loaf of bread on a wooden bench at the Jersey Street, which was not far from the store. He also offered a place for Hiro to stay while he looked for an apartment. He was naturally kind and generous, a bit naive but it didn't matter.

Hiro returned the favor for his kindness by doing all the things Kuro couldn't even manage, like handling the customers with patience. Of course, it made the fat man frantic. Not because Hiro was a "criminal", he was afraid the blunette would get seriously injured; worse, sent to federal prison. Most of all, he didn't want him to get overworked in his not-yet stabled condition and possibly get into a fight.

So when he assigned him to do the light work until he gets better, did it only overwhelm Hiro's heart, completely touched by his consideration of his health before business. These passed three weeks made the two closer, becoming more like best friends, then soul brothers. Hiro had stopped addressing him in a polite manner, treating him as a sibling instead.

Like what was stated before, Kuro was the one managing the place. In fact, he was practically good at it and he was serious about the work. But he was generous, and the salary he gave to Hiro is simply fair. Despite his size compared to a pig, never judge a book by its cover.

Hiro raised a brow, bemused at Kuro's childlike behavior as if he was here to open presents. He took note of his hands wanting to tear up the box like paper.

"It's not Christmas yet," Hiro joked.

"Who cares," Kuro rolled his eyes before they shine like stars, "what matters that Santa left a ton of special presents last night during his vacation!"

With a loud thump, Kuro have finally placed the box at the counter, right in front of a curious, slightly amused Hiro. The fat man let out a huff of exhaustion but he was happy.

"It felt like a dream come true after I read the inside address."

Hiro looked at the big rectangular sticker pasted on the box. He read:

"FROM: PROMETHEUS

Dear Mr. Shiruba, we thank you for your cooperation and wise suggestions through your reviews. Because of this, your store has been assigned as one of the stores to sell our LBX productions. In this box, you'll be selling several of our latest designed LBXs. Some of them came from other companies. Be extra careful with them upon sold.

Sincerely..."

Hiro put every single word from this paste into his brain. He did not move on when he focused on the typed name.

Gouda Hanzo

CEO Director of Prometheus

Hiro was dumbstruck.

Gouda-san now owns the company? Since when!?

In fact, he thought the guy would continue to be a bar tender at Blue Cat's Cafe. It turned out he actually succeeded the role of heir while he was an LBX pro.

If it were six years ago, that would totally be a surprise.

"Hiro, are you okay?" Kuro asked, noticing the weird expression he was making.

It took five seconds for Hiro to respond slowly, "Oh, I'm alright."

Hiro mentally told himself to give another call to Gouda later. Yes, he had tried calling his friends these days, but he was left with only voice mails; an addition to his mental torture. He wondered if he missed a lot.

At the same time, he put that aside and spoke,

"So what has got to do with your dream?"

Ever since he worked under Kuro, they began to get to know each other. From the beginning, Kuro only wanted to live in a decent life. However, he had been dreaming about getting an LBX since he was a kid. The fat man was, in fact, a big fanatic on mechanics and his customizations were crazy but cool. He wanted to try remodeling one of the popular companies' LBXs. This wasn't considered against the copyright, and Kuro would gladly register one of his remodeled frames to the expo events. Sadly, due to the production's popularity and some other reasons, the price nowadays were doubled almost close to taxes that his family's bank account couldn't afford such money. Even Kuro himself as the manager of GameRight, couldn't pay with measly ten dollars. The judges wouldn't accept his blueprints despite its accurate details.

Kuro made a big grin, and pressed his small index finger on the paste.

"Read this!"

Hiro did as he was told. His expression turned to a smile.

"P.S.: Since your knowledge about LBX combats is astounding, you can pick one of the products delivered to you for free. Don't hesitate, someone like you who has talent shouldn't be a waste."

Regarding to business, sociable is the key to seek opportunities. Gouda did not lack common sense in this field after all.

He wasn't lying either, Kuro was a born genius under a rock!

Hiro gave Kuro a brotherly pat on the back.

"It definitely is a dream come true." He asked casually, "So what frame are you going to pick?"

Kuro thought for a moment, and spoke, "Panzer Frame I guess. I kinda like engines. Not just that, like Brawler Frames, their power level is decent, and the vault can be increased when equipped with heavy weapons."

As a genius, Kuro had some level of understanding towards LBXs, otherwise he would have not make those accurate reviews to the companies and now uttered these words.

Hiro had to agree with that statement, but a Panzer... He had some opinions about it. He said thoughtfully, "I think you'd better pick another model frame. Hm... I think a Wild Frame should suit you well!"

"Why?" asked Kuro.

"It is because of your indecisive and crafty personality," Hiro explained. "Although you are big, you're not sturdy. I'll put this in a simple gaming manner, Panzer Framed LBXs tend to have the best defense besides Brawler LBXs being off defense, and both are basically tanks. In fact, it's not just Panzers but every other model frames would not suit you either. I think you'd better choose Wild Frame. They're more compatible to your way of thinking."

Kuro was flattered, but nodded while deep in thought. He couldn't help but agree with Hiro's statement, however...

He sighed. "They're light weighted... and I'm heavy and fat."

Pfft!

Hearing the last sentence, Hiro failed to hold in his laughter, letting out a soft chuckle. Kuro noticed this, feeling quite offended.

The fat man was about to speak until the blunette got to him first. "Brother, I wouldn't compare myself to something this small. Stop being so depress about your weight. Just because you're fat doesn't mean you're not capable of everything. You are strong-willed. Your appearance and everyone's opinion won't matter. On the other hand, to me, you just pretended to be a pig to eat the tiger."

Kuro laughed heartily at the Chinese phrase, nevertheless he was completely touched by his words.

"Well, it won't hurt to try." Kuro finally agreed.

"Then let's get this box open," Hiro looked through the drawers. "Now where did I put that cardboard cutter..."

01001000100001000001

It took about half a minute for the two soul brothers to put out a couple of more boxes. They both placed them in accordance to armor frames. There were three model kits each on five armor frames and occupied the free space of one of their shelves.

Hiro was holding a notebook while jotting down specific information about the latest model kits and the new weapon sets. Kuro moved the rest to the storage room, putting them in order.

They can only fit fifteen kits in one shelf, and the rest were already filled with toy figurines and gaming hard drives waiting to be sold.

Kuro left the room, carrying a model kit. He showed it to Hiro.

"Is this good?"

A dark, terrifying image was imprinted on the box cover. In the picture, the red moon was drawn with pure vibrance in the black sky, yet bloody. Even the dark red visor of a black animalistic robot, in the form of a black crow, looked like it was trying to hide its true face. If it were real and it wasn't a robot, no one would imagine what they were about to see under that glass.

Just looking at it, Hiro thought the artist was trying to scare the kids.

Besides the picture, there was the logo of the Prometheus printed below, and above was a big text indicating that the LBX is named "HUGINN" .

Huginn?

He grimaced. He was surprised that they actually made a Wild Framed LBX other than Panzer Frames. But the design-- what was Gouda thinking?

He didn't imagine he would make one of Odin's messengers into this. Although, it did make sense since Huginn is a raven but still.

"It's cool but, why that?"

"Just looking at the picture, I can tell this LBX has many flaws," Kuro explained.

Hiro nodded, understanding what he meant. It was Prometheus' first ever Wild Frame LBX on sale. Although it looked scary, it did appear to be in disadvantage in many situations. "You wanna improve it?"

Kuro gave him a confident smirk. "Definitely!"

Ding!

While they were chattering, they caught the bell ringing as the door opened. Walking in was a boy in his younger youth, around fourteen. He was wearing a long neck red shirt, and blue trousers with three pockets. His black hair was tied in a short ponytail, and his dark blue eyes were sharp.

Glancing at him from head to toe, Hiro thought this boy is too young to be a street fighter. Apparently, Kuro seemed to know him when he walked up him, greeting kindly,

"Hello Ikki, what brings you here?"

"I was walking by the street until I saw the sign on your shop, Mr. Shiruba." The boy Ikki gave the fat man a cheeky grin as he spoke, "since you're now selling LBXs, can I take a look at the weapon items? If you have any I mean."

"Yeah, we do have. Plus, they were the latest weapon items from Cyber Lance, upgrades even."

Ikki eyes lit up. "Re-Really!?"

Kuro gave him a nod as an answer. This response only made Ikki raised his fist in exuberance.

"Oh yes!!!"

Watching from the desk, Hiro could only smile in envy. Man, he really missed his younger days.

"You can go to the guy behind the counter," Kuro gestured. "He has the list."

"Okay!"

When Ikki walked over to Hiro, the boy began to notice the black collar around the adult's neck. He paled.

Hiro noticed this, forgetting he still had the DV collar on him, and thought he was sick. "Are you--"

Ikki ran over, and threw a fist right onto his face!

Hiro was unprepared so he and Kuro were utterly surprised. Ikki put too much force into his punch, causing Hiro to land on a filled shelf behind him.

The poor shelf broke apart in its last decades of old age, the comic books and guides fell as well.

"Ow," Hiro groaned, touching his swollen eye. "Why did you--"

"Scram, terrorist!" Ikki shouted angrily.

Hiro froze, a sharp feeling pierced his heart.

In these days, he had been forgetting. Lady Luck barely look out for him but omen had been the parent all along.

His mind flooded with questions. Why do people look at him with those faces? Why is no one there for him? Why is he alone?

All have the same answer.

An image flashed in his mind. A feminine figure slowly disappearing into the light, more people came and soon faded within seconds as well. All of them had their backs against him.

I thought you're a hero.

Despair came upon him.

Thinking he was deaf, Ikki repeated otherwise, and was going to use force.

"I said, scram terrorist!"

"Enough!"

Hiro regained his senses. He and Ikki turned, both fazed at a furious Kuro. A mother hen broke loose.

The fat man hurriedly rushed over to Hiro and helped him up.

"You alright bro?"

"Uh.. yeah..."

Kuro then glared at the boy. "Ikki, apologize to Hiro!"

Ikki had a dumbfounded expression. He just stood there watching, and now he was asked to apologize the guilty. Has he gone insane!?

"But Mr. Shiruba, he's..."

"Don't!" Ikki instantly shut his mouth, a little scared at the fat man's hissing tone. "Don't you ever say that word. Alright? 'Cause if you do and you don't apologize, I won't be giving you a weapon item as a free giveaway!"

"F-Free giveaway!?" Ikki exclaimed in shock.

Before any of them could go further, the door swung open.

Ding!

They turned their heads. A couple of men, wearing street hoodies and trousers, stood at the door step. Their hair covered by gray beanie hats, and had golden accessories around their necks and hands. One word came in mind.

Gangsters.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Among them was a man standing out like a sore thumb due to his short size, much smaller than Kuro. He wore a big golden "$" necklace hanging around his neck. His mischievous grin revealing his golden tooth.

"It seems a fight has started without us," he said as he noticed Hiro and Ikki. Not to mention, the Detect Vice on Hiro's neck.

"And it looks like a terrorist punk was beaten up by the infamous street twerp."

Ikki threw daggers at the short stature man, and shouted, "What are you doing here Little Richie!?"

"Don't call me little!" Richie growled dangerously. "You think your reputation at the streets made you popular and I'm smaller than you? Think again, I still own most of the area, know your place twerp!"

"Know your place, twerp!" His men repeated in unison.

Hiro frowned. Kuro told him about this man name Richard "Richie" Carson and the Gangster Kings. They were rumored to be a street group ruling common districts like Walls Street. As rulers of their territories, they took whatever they want with no payment. They act harsh and were filled with arrogance as if they were rich kings. Within his sight and hearing, their actions confirmed his thoughts.

"Enough chatting!" Richie pointed at the model kits in the shelf. "Since you're sellin' these bad boys, we'll be takin' them for free and head in our way. Oh, and the money too."

Ikki was about to fight, but Kuro caught his shoulder, stopping him. He shook his head and lowered in defeat.

One of the gang members were about to step forward until Hiro got in the way. This caught everyone's attention, especially Richie who coldly told him,

"Move aside, mister! Ain't you know who we are?"

He didn't respond until he spoke with defiance, "You won't be getting them easily."

Kuro gave a wary glance at the blunette, thinking why he had to bother knowing he would be in trouble. Although he has the DV collar, the police won't help in this matter.

Richie sniggered, "And what makes you say that?"

Hiro pretended to think. "If I remember correctly, you street gangs and fighters had a rule relating to this. I even heard LBX battles are involved."

"The Flavian Rule," Ikki confirmed.

The Flavian Rule was known to the small local area of A City ever since LBX players began to form gangs, while some prefer to be lone fighters in the streets. This likely caused conflict between the two parties, nearly turning LBXs into weapons of destruction compared to World Saber's terrorism. Fearing this, the higher ups told the feuding groups to set up a rule.

"Well, you should be an LBX player in order to make up the rule." Richie sneered, "But the manager isn't one, and street twerp here isn't part of this useless shack."

He was correct at this point. According to the Flavian Rule, whoever owns a certain place, or property that caught interest of a gangster or a fighter, they must win it through an LBX battle. If the owner or any of his/her colleagues or members are not LBX players, they have to give up the property. If either party acted on pure violence, they would be caught by federal police.

The last sentence was true. The bureau had set up cameras that are invisible to the naked eye. They wouldn't hesitate to send the military, so the players didn't get their hopes up.

Little hatred was shown in Ikki's eyes, but he was mostly confused as to why Hiro brought this up in the first place.

Hiro curved his lips up, his eyes shone dangerously. "I'm his colleague."

"So?"

For some reason, just looking at his eyes Richie felt scared.

"So you should beat me first," Hiro answered.

His declaration left them surprised. Even Kuro was shocked and thought he had gone deaf.

"You're an LBX player?" One of Richie's men asked.

Is he? The answer was proven when Hiro took out a small robot, which was the size of his palm, from his pocket. Kuro thought his eyes would pop out from widening too much.

It was LBX Perseus, in completely red color and black with little colors of blue and yellow.

It was even customized!?

Hiro made a light smirk. "I'm a pro too."

His statement made the Gold Pack Gang laugh.

"You're just saying that so you could scare us?" Even Richie mocked this man's arrogance. However…

"Boss, why are you sweating?" The GK group noticed the short man's face changing.

Hiro smiled calmly. "Then let me prove it to you in a battle."

At first, Richie was hesitant. This was the first time he ever think of refusing a fight. He didn't quite like where this was going. But knowing his pride was big, Richie couldn't chicken out. He has his pals backing him up anyway.

Richie huffed. "So be it. How about a three on one battle?"

"You're too shameless!" Kuro found it unfair and got angry.

"Like I care about your opinions, fatty! The Flavian Rule only has two rules, and no more."

Ikki growled. If only he was old enough to work here…

To their surprise, Hiro nodded. "That's fine with me."

01001000100001000001

Everyone went outside.

The street lampposts began to flicker with light. The sky was already shaded in darker blue. No passerbys nor vehicles present at the streets, and only the crickets made noises.

Hiro faced Richie along with his two gang members.

The rest stood by the sidelines, watching and anticipating the results of the fight. Even Kuro started praying for his colleague.

Ikki began to look at Hiro in a different view. He had to admit, his determination to defend Mr. Shiruba's shop, despite his criminal status, was indeed admirable but he was worrying over the fact whether this man really is a pro, or just bluffing.

Richie picked a small cube from his pocket, and pressed the white button.

"D-Cube," He threw the object over. "Set!"

The cub hit the ground. Within three seconds, the cube glowed and grew larger from its small size, transforming itself into a diorama. The battle field was…

Roman Coliseum!

Richie took out his LBX, his teammates followed in pursuit. "Big Boss!" "Drew Gold!"

Hiro took out his as well. "Cosmic Hero Perseus S!"

The four LBXs entered the fray. The sky within the diorama is altered to their night sky, thus it appeared to be daytime here without the sun. The once known coliseum in Rome stood tall in its glory, and was never a rubble like the real one today.

In the field of yellow sand, the fighters confronted each other.

"Drews are Brawler type LBXs," Kuro muttered anxiously. "In the Battle Franchise Rankings, they're in the top 5. Just three of them together, they likely give big damage compared to the top 3!"

"Top 3?" The fourth GK member sneered, taunting, "I would say they compare to Top 1! Did you forget how powerful our Boss' LBX is?"

It was annoying too, Ikki thought with disdain.

Hiro looked at the screen of his CCM. In his point of view, there were only three boxer-like LBXs painted in gold. Among them was Richie's LBX, which was also painted in gold but--

"Did you say 'Big Boss'?" Hiro asked out of the blue.

Richie raised his brow. "Yeah, why? Do you got a problem with that?"

"Well, I don't blame you."

"Huh??"

"The Piggy Banks nowadays are utterly useless but cheap." Hiro spoke with earnest, "No wonder you want to raid our shop to replace this junk. After this battle, maybe you can just trade it with us for only one LBX instead."

Everyone thought he was crazy. Nonetheless, Richie laughed.

"I would love to, but one LBX is not enough! Buddies, teach this so-called pro's LBX to never mess with us!"

"Yeah!"

Their rockets burst as the Gold Drews charged forward, but 'Big Boss' remained in its position.

"Hey, dogde it mister!" Ikki shouted.

"Ah! I can't look!" Kuro tried to close his eyes.

But the three bulky LBXs were already close to Perseus, raising their axes at the same time. It was impossible to dodge them in this close distance, and they were about to smolder it to pieces.

However, it was already too late for them to go back.

Hiro's eyes glowed.

His thumb pressed the buttons rapidly in an intense speed.

The Knight LBX began to make a move.

No one noticed.

Everything motioned slowly. But to the eyes of the audience and fighters, it was fast as no one took notice of the quick initiative.

Perseus disappeared, then reappeared within seconds, passing through them like a ghost, and swipes of its dual blades were swung effortlessly.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

In a blink of an eye, the sound of blades clashed echoed in the coliseum. Three large axes flew in random directions, landing on the interior walls and pierced through the hard bricks.

The Gold Drews stood in a rather awkward manner, finally noticing their trademark weapons gone.

Perseus was kneeling with one knee, its dual swords held at both of its sides, behind the three offenders.

Before anyone could react, three more noises echoed in the battlefield.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Waves of blue light glowed around the Brawler LBXs, exploding like fire works. Slowly, the Gold Drews dropped dead one at a time.

Everyone froze, staring in disbelief. Both Kuro and Ikki gawked, while the other GK member happened to pee his pants from shock without anyone or himself notice. Even Richie choked at the scene, his pale face twisted into fear.

Three insta-break overs! And they were Drews!


	3. Bulletstorm Beetle Part I

"Why didn't you tell me you're an LBX pro?"

"I thought it wouldn't be too important."

"Not important!?" Kuro retorted. "What the heck man? You and I love LBXs and talk a lot about them. Of course this is definitely important!"

It was almost noon and the two soul brothers were currently in an apartment, which Hiro recently bought two days ago. Although the layout looked rather shabby with the dull yellow paint on the walls and brownish white on the ceilings, it was quite spacious and the kitchen looked decent. Even the couch here, other than the bed, were comfy enough for Kuro to lay on. It felt like home despite knowing this isn't his.

Turning away, Hiro spoke, "It's just that... I was a terrorist who used LBX to hurt people."

It was true. Under the effects of hypnosis, he caused terror with D Regiudea, an LBX created by his captivators, and nearly killed innocent lives. Before his defeat, he created many casualties which led to extreme poverty, and LBXs were banded from stores around that time, only to come back to the public three years later. The thought of these incidents only made him feel guilty, his heart becoming heavier. The Detect Vice tightened around his neck, nearly suffocating him.

Bearing this collar as a presumed convict, he already accepted this fate, a punishment he knew he deserved.

A hand was placed on his shoulder.

Hiro looked back and saw Kuro with a softened expression.

"You know you weren't yourself that time," he said, making a small assuring smile. "And I think so too. I believe you're not the kind of guy to hurt anyone."

"But--"

"But if you were, then why didn't you hurt me?"

His straightforwardness led Hiro speechless.

Looking at the fat man before him, a soul brother, he couldn't help but chuckle lightly. He spoke his thoughts out,

"Because I never wanted to hurt an innocent."

All he wanted was to save them.

Hiro looked at the table. On top of it were scattered tools, spray paints, and plastic yet metallic parts. Besides these, there were two small machines; one was the customized Perseus, and the other was the remodeled Huginn, which was still under the process of completion.

While he stared at them, he began to remember his mother.

If you believe in something, then believe in it. It won't betray you to the very end.

The thought of his mother speaking to him now did it only make his heart feel lighter. It was as if she was trying to cheer him, assuring him that he will succeed his dream, a belief he firmly hold onto since childhood. This realization have made Hiro resolved from his state, his lips curved up.

So why not becoming a hero again?

"Thanks, Kuro."

"You're welcome. Glad I can help my brother."

Putting the final piece, Kuro placed the finished model on the table. "It's done!"

The remodeled LBX Huginn was beautiful to behold, stroke by the last rays of the sun as it shone. The skeletal core's head was equipped with a humanoid shape with a green visor, Kuro had to get rid of the rough edges since they didn't fancy him that much. Typical Kuro.

For the body and armor, even the hands, were mostly painted with silver. The armor covered most of the skeletal core, especially around the arms, legs and torso, its vital spots not easily exposed. It also has shoulder guards as well.

"You polished this pretty well," Hiro commented, taking the LBX and tapped the vital spots, scratching them with a screw driver yet not a mark was left on the metal surface. "And you got rid of the weak points too. Wait, are these really wings?"

When Hiro flipped it over to see the back, there was a prototype jet pack. Tapping it, two metalic wings spread out. He was surprised. They simply reminded him of Achilles D9's whenever he thought of flying, or use Sword Bit, and would release them behind its back. These, however, were made with sharp feather-like mirrors.

"Those were from one of my old designs," Kuro said, rubbing his nose bashfully. "The wings Prometheus designed lacked most of the aerodynamics, but mine was more useless in hover maintenance than that. I had to make a few changes."

"Well, you did pull it off in that part. We'll just have to see if they actually work though."

Ding, dong!

The doorbell rang, catching both of their attention from the discussion. Looking at the clock which struck 7:00 pm, the two men exchanged glances in bewilderment.

"Did you invite a friend?" Kuro asked.

"The only friend I know in this town is you," Hiro replied. "I didn't even order pepperoni pizza today."

Walking towards the door, he peeked through the small scope. What he saw was a rough boy with a bandaid on the bridge of his nose. But his features were recognizable when he saw his wild dark blue eyes and his sported short ponytail.

Ikki-san?

He opened the door slowly and inspected the boy again, finally confirming the identity of the young fighter.

Kuro was still sitting on the couch, looking from afar where he could see Hiro's back. When he heard the latter turned the door knob, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

Who could it be in this hour? The Bureau? But Hiro hadn't done anything wrong, right? His heart skipped a beat, chill swept through his spine but he stayed casually calm. Let's not get into conclusions, he told himself mentally.

But if they were here for Hiro and force him physically, he will throw this couch without hesitation.

"Who is it?" Kuro asked, sweat soaked his forehead.

"It's just Ikki-san," Hiro answered.

The anxiety in his poor heart was slowly lifted, letting out a sigh of relief. But suddenly, Kuro felt something odd. Wait a minute, Ikki?

Hiro moved aside, allowing the boy to enter as the latter walked in. Without anyone to tell him, Ikki took off his sneakers out of politeness in courtesy of house manners. After all, he and these two adults are born Japanese people but he himself is clearly mixed in region out of the three.

"Is that an LBX?" Ikki asked, noticing the remodeled Huginn on the table when he entered the living room.

"Uh… yeah," Kuro replied, still not entirely clear of the boy's intention, but gave the LBX to him. "You can take a look."

Within seconds, Ikki's eyes shone like stars when he finally had the closer view of the robot. His fingers rubbed on the soft metal, carefully tapping on the prototype jet pack, which he took notice. Two pairs of metallic wings spread out from the pack, startling the boy by surprise.

Hiro crossed his arms, an amused smile was shown on his lips, as he watches the young fighter inspecting the LBX as if he was judging its details. However, the former kept thinking why the boy was here.

"So Ikki-san, what brings you here this late?" He asked in a gentle but also sincere tone.

He didn't want to offend the boy by scolding him, knowing he has a huge pride as a lone fighter, but he still expressed his concerns. Even if he have this reputation, a child young as this boy shouldn't be wondering at the streets while danger lurks around the corner, especially in the middle of the night.

Ikki came back to reality and turned to Hiro, with a weird expression which the latter thought it was. Even his eyes, no longer have its fierceness nor excitement, was unnatural, it felt like he was blankly looking into his soul.

"Um… is there something on my face?" He nervously asked, not liking this boy's unusual staring contest. He already lost just by blinking his own eyes a few times.

Bam!

Ikki swiftly bowed to him in a gracious manner, surprising both Hiro and Kuro, and implored, "please teach me your ways, Expert!"

Eh!?

Both of them exchanged glances then turned back to Ikki. The boy was still kneeling on the floor.

He didn't seem to mind to repeat the gesture, bowing and at the same time, begging Hiro genuinely but also out of respect, "Please teach me and I'll do whatever you ask!"

Hiro startled. In truth, he never knew anyone asking him in such a orderly fashion, and even vowing to do whatever he bids as if he was a king. And he was called "Expert" three times already. The boy kept bowing in front of him, seemingly not tired nor bored at all.

Kuro watched the episode unfolded, the young fighter's actions totally shocked him as well.

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Listening to Richie's report, Lester sat on a fancy white couch with a glass of wine in hand.

Lester closed his eyes and laid his back against the couch. A mischievous smile was curved on his lips, "Well… it's seems that guy indeed has extraordinary talent. If Bulletstorm Beetle spar with him, he won't stand a chance... A beginner against a true pro…"

Roger grunted, his muscular arms crossed against his bulky chest, "That kid have been a nuisance these days. Whatever we get from the folks, the stag chased our men down one by one with vengeance. I can't even stand hearing his hail of bullets anymore! It's a good thing that someone stronger has finally joined the field."

"But the question is, will he work for us?" Lester said his thoughts out.

Leia huffed. "Hmph, if he tries to refuse then I don't mind doing the dirty work as usual."

"He won't say no to your body," Roger muttered. "But Lady Leia, you must know, this man you're dealing with is presumed to be a former terrorist."

"So what? Roger, you and I both know that we want to get rid of that brat permanently." Leia continued, "so even if this man is one, taking a risk will definitely be worth while as long as that stinky bug is squashed to death!"

"Which is why we are all here," said Lester.

Richie was still kneeling on the floor. Sweat soaked all over his face, he reluctantly took glance of the trio conversing one another.

Lester noticed, and smiled. His expression was not very pleasant, and the frightening glint in his eyes caused Richie to choke.

"Is there anything you want to say, Little Richie?"

Usually, the short man would rebuke. But he couldn't bring himself to do so to someone like Lester, especially not in front of the other two in the room. Not to mention, he lost to that pro. As a matter of fact, he was just a pawn to these people, nothing more.

"No."

01001000100001000001

"You really want to be my student?"

Seeing Ikki nodded furiously, eyes gleaming with admiration, Hiro couldn't help but find this strange and amusing. Thus he asked again, "What if I refuse?"

"I'll convince you then!"

Huh, he's actually straightforward, but Hiro didn't comment this and said, "Don't you think you're wasting your time?"

Ikki was startled. "Why would I be wasting my time?"

"Because you're begging to a so-called terrorist." Before Kuro cut in, Hiro quickly continued, "It's a little weird that you're asking me to take you in as an apprentice. Not to mention, you punched me yesterday. So I don't understand why you would be here bowing to someone you know is a bad guy."

He added, "plus, you're talking to a complete stranger, at their own place right now. Didn't your parents tell you anything about this?"

Hearing that, Ikki's expression slowly changed to guilt, sadness glinting in his eyes. Something which Hiro didn't expect, the boy replied,

"I want to apologise for that. It was rude of me for not looking at you in the eye. And yeah, my parents did say something like that…"

The first two sentences drove Hiro in a disarray. What did he mean by looking in the eye? Was he saying that he was actually blind?

But that last statement though.

Don't tell me he's actually-- Hiro glanced at Kuro. The fat man had been listening, so when he met the blunette's sight, only then did his solemn face and gloomy nodding confirmed Hiro's suspicions.

Hiro mentally sighed. He never would have guessed how this child was able to support himself without parental guidance, especially in such a young age.

Looking at Ikki, Hiro found himself surprisingly comparing himself to this boy. Just a glance at him and he definitely see something common between them. If one made a mistake, that person likely wants to make amends. A type of guy like that is rare and he never thought this young arrogant- looking fighter would be an official.

Moreover, what Ikki was saying that punch was nothing but a slight grudge and Ikki apologized twice, politely for that.

At this thought, he couldn't help but ask, "What exactly did you see me?"

Ikki was quiet for awhile, his eyes began to look in Hiro's again, which the latter calmly stared back. Finally he spoke, "I saw a good guy, even stronger than I imagined."

Otherwise, that battle was indeed intense. It ended around thirty seconds without their eyes blink. Watching Perseus easily sliced the Gold Drews and Big Boss as cutting pie, Hiro's bluff came out to be true.

And it goes to show that Ikki began to look up to him for his strength and morale, especially his loyalty to Kuro.


	4. Bulletstorm Beetle Part II

"Alright, I will take you in."

Ikki was about to leap with joy until Hiro raised his hand and spoke, "If you can fight Kuro."

The said person choked at his words, even Ikki was surprised.

The young boy asked, "Mr. Shiruba can play LBX?"

Kuro secretly gave Hiro a glare, and a face saying "Why me!?"

However, the latter ignored him and simply nodded to confirm Ikki's question. "Yeah. Well, the only problem is his weapon. But I do recommend knuckles as the best choice."

"Why?"

"Because his frame is in the Wild category." Hiro continued, "The sword is fine but I doubt they would maintain his flight speed constantly."

Hearing that, Ikki glanced at Huginn which was placed on the table beside Perseus, surprised. "You mean that silver LBX is yours, Mr.Shiruba?"

Kuro was beginning to blame Hiro for this, but soon realized that the latter haven't heard of Ikki's achievements so he never knew the boy's actual strength.

Kuro sighed lowly, "Yeah, and I remodeled it."

This only made Ikki purely shocked before grinning widely with admiration. "That's amazing! What kind of functions did you make? Wait, don't tell me yet. I'll find out soon in the battle."

Kuro was about to suffocate before Ikki added, "I'll go easy on you though. I don't want to damage your masterpiece. It's totally wicked by the way."

"That's Mr. Shiruba to you," Hiro grinned, addressing the fat man in the same manner as Ikki.

Looking at the both of them helplessly, Kuro wanted to cry.

01001000100001000001

The diorama has already expanded, and the fray was set in Metropolis.

White, and glass buildings towered the roads, and the red truss bridge stood calmly over the large lake. Amidst the completed construction were two robots, standing at opposing sides.

Hiro arched an eyebrow when he finally saw Ikki's LBX. It was an orange humanoid beetle, equipped with two black revolvers, called Khepri. The model seemed to have most of LBX Warrior's design. But what Hiro notice was its distinctive features; there were two horns, one on the head and the other pointing forward from the center of what seemed to be a mechanical thorax. However, he found them rather odd because each of its horns' two tips have two black cylinders each, including its back there were six of them but small. Even the LBX's arms, which Hiro took note, seemed to have some sort of functions applied just by looking at its design.

Remembering what Ikki said before, he narrowed his eyes. Could those be his trump cards? Although the model looked practically decent, he had never seen this LBX in the franchise. Once more, it seemed to be place either in the Brawler or Wild category, or both.

Kuro was holding his CCM, his hand trembling but soon relaxed. He couldn't believe he had to do this. But then again, Hiro was testing Ikki's strength. But him to be requested for a battle remained unclear of his intentions. He have to fight against the infamous Bulletstorm Beetle in a friendly spar, even knowing that the fighter said he would take an easy on him. He wasn't scared, a lie which he believed, it's just that he found this sudden.

Although they were both beginners, Kuro was a day late and a dollar short in battles and as for Ikki, they were as easy as ABC.

"In a basic battle, no Attack Functions are allowed," Hiro explained. "Begin!"

START!

Already loaded with two magazines, the beetle LBX made several shots first, bullets flying towards Silver Huginn.

Silver Huginn, equipped with gray knuckles, moved out of the way and lunged for its opponent with a fist hook. Khepri, however, blocked it with its "horns."

Hiro widened his eyes. Kuro, however, remained calm as if he expected this. Before his opponent made a move, quickly typing away, Huginn made an uppercut before backflipping, its feet hitting on Khepri's chin. This rendered the beetle LBX to let go one of its revolvers and stumbled backward.

Khepri tried to reach out for its gun but Huginn interfered by punching its face without an eye's blink, sending it further away from the weapon.

Ikki grunted with frustration, lowly mumbling, "Man, this thing's fast."

Worthy of a professional mechanic, Kuro was indeed an expert in LBX maintenance. He must have revised its normal speed, Ikki thought.

Kuro ignored him, in fact, he already focused into the screen, Khepri right in front of him.

Huginn dodged the bullets while running closer, and made another hook. This time, Khepri backed away within a meter, kicking the silver LBX's chest and already shoot out twelve bullets. Huginn regained it's balance and tried to avoid them while having its fist land for Khepri's helm.

Several bullets missed the LBX by an inch, but a few did leave a scratch on the waist and the side of its visor.

Before the fist even make a hit, Khepri blocked it with its "horns" again. Then Khepri lifted the LBX like a mammoth with strong tusks, sending it flying. The beetle LBX made another round of twelve bullets to shoot its helpless opponent.

Unfortunately, Huginn wasn't helpless while in the air.

Kuro's heart leaped in fright. He pressed a few buttons in panic.

Suddenly, silver metalic wings sprouted from Huginn's back. Three bullets already made marks on the Wild LBX, but Huginn dived forward and the rest couldn't hit its silver armor nor its wings. The Wild LBX made a swirling arial ace, drilling through the air with one fist raised as it landed on Khepri, which Ikki happened to make it defend itself with its "horns" the third time.

The force Huginn pressured on Khepri was immensely strong as it pushed the beetle LBX further back, crashing into a tall building behind it.

Ikki bit his lip. He pressed the buttons in a fast pace.

Khepri's green eyes glowed intensely. Its feet pressed against the ground as the beetle LBX began to push back with difficult effort.

Huginn didn't stop spinning but made the same move continuously, drilling even deeper into Khepri's "horns" as if wanting to cut them apart.

Both Kuro and Ikki were sweating, not sensing the cool air from the cheap air conditioner, as they felt like their hearts would break through their ribcages from stress and anxiety.

Fifteen minutes passed by yet both sides still locked their horns and fist, trying to suppress the other in this battle of strength.

It was around this time that Hiro announced in halting the fight.

Ikki was surprised. Kuro, however, knew what to expect from this sudden announcement. But he didn't expect Hiro to make a lunch excuse for this matter, his feet nearly slipped when the blunette claimed it was nearly passed twelve.

"You guys must be starving so why won't you eat first?" Hiro said. "I made spicy curry."

"You better pay me back, or I won't forgive you…" Kuro grumbled in annoyance. Even after the battle, he was still having traumatic after effects. He was against the Bulletstorm Beetle for goodness sakes!

If Ikki wasn't easy on him, Kuro would be insta-break by a storm of bullets. Of course, Hiro didn't know that. He would just have to see in a later note.

"And I did pay half of it," Hiro continued, "I also prepared a large bowl of sweet curry for you."

"Then that's enough for me to forgive you completely," Kuro's attitude quickly changed into what seemed to be childlike personality. After all, Kuro was known to have a sweet tooth; one of the reasons why he was overweighted.

"But Expert, neither of us won yet," Ikki honestly stated. Although, he was a little creeped out at Kuro's childish antics.

At this, Hiro smiled gently. "I'm not looking for a winner Ikki-san."

This left the young fighter confused but Hiro patiently shoved him toward the dining table. Ikki didn't complain, but imediately sat down when he saw the delicious food fashionably organized by Hiro.

Before setting the plates and utensils on the table, at the same time, Hiro glanced back to the LBXs.

Huginn had suffered physical scratches but they weren't serious. The knuckles, however, looked pitifully broke as if something hard drained almost all of its durability. Speaking of which…

He took a look at Khepri. Seconds later his eyes widened, shocked at what he saw.

The model's frame weren't seriously damaged, only containing light scratches like Huginn's. But what made him staring in disbelief were those "horns." They weren't broken. In fact, they were perfectly fine as if they weren't harmed at all.

And there was something else…

"Hiro, are you going to eat or what?"

"Coming, coming," Hiro went towards the table, shaking his head at the savaged Kuro who was munching down a bowl of sweet curry like a dog.

Even Ikki was overjoyed at the meal, too much. He never tasted such luxurious meal in his entire life. It was way better than Old Tom's American curry.

"Expert, this is delicious!" Ikki talked, chewing on a big spoonful of curry and rice.

"Don't talk when you're mouth is full," Hiro paused before speaking, "hey Ikki, would you like to have an LBX battle with me? We'll be following the same rule. No Attack Functions, so I want you to give me your all."

This caught Kuro's attention while eating his meal.

Hearing that, Ikki grinned widely. "Sure!"

01001000100001000001

An hour later…

In the same landscape, Perseus entered the fray in Huginn's place.

"Huh?" Ikki noticed something and squinted his eyes.

There was nothing different about the Knight LBX, except its fist looked more-- metallic just now.

It's probably because of the spray paint, Ikki thought. There were various kinds of them that can give a detail like that.

Kuro seemed to noticed this but decided to question for its use later. He shouted, "Begin!"

BATTLE START!

I know you're hiding something, Hiro thought. Let's see if I try to provoke you this way.

Pressing a few buttons, Perseus charged forward. Its swords ready to be unsheathed while the LBX was a meter away towards its opponent.

Khepri suddenly raised both of its arms. An opening appeared on its bracers, and two more black cylinders came out on each of them. Its "horns" began to move as well as the black cylinders were lowered within 90 degrees.

They were all aimed at Perseus.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Loud gunshots rang through the air. At the same time, a large hail of innumerable bullets were sent forth, causing destruction to the miniature city as dust covered the whole area.


End file.
